Written By NAFSO on Monday, June 05, 2006 | 5:02:00 PM

Hikkaduwa is a biggest famous tourism area in Sri Lanka but the fisherman also should have their living rights to live with honorably as citizen in this country as well as without any bad effects from the tourism. Not only that they should be allowed to foster their economic back ground with the protection of families.

In this prevailing situation Sri Lankan government also promotes only tourism industry greadying for money without helping to decrease poverty line in the country. As a result of that another big tourist hotel is to be built consist of 96 rooms in Galle district focusing the Rathgama lagoon by destroying all the cultural heritages, natural environment, rich mangrove plantation around the lagoon bunt, herbal plants, with all the fisheries resources in the lagoon. Apart from that there are more than 800 poor families who depend on lagoon fisheries industry and the coir industry therefore if they built this hotel definitely these families will be displaced aging as they lost all their properties with the effect of tsunami. in one hand we would like to ask is this an another sustainable development project under the MAHINDA CHINTHA (Presidential election agenda) or fishermen killing development process under this. Considering with all these things we have decided to educate people who are living in the area in which the hotel is being built. Apart from that the government authorities also have been educated in this regard but any necessary steps haven’t been taken to stop this work though we informed this growing problem against the fishermen as well as poor in the relevant area. to begin this project they already have started all the meek works without concerning the lives of the people by using even industrial mechanism system.

These types of projects only for the sake of hotel owners in the tourist industry as we realize and not for the fishers or other poor people who are living with may defects in the day today life.The National Fisheries solidarity Movement has been fighting for a long time for the social justice and against these types of killing development projects which appears in the name of sustainable development projects in the country. We believe that this miserable condition will understand our responsible authorities including our president Mr. Mahinda Rajapaksa as we informed them earlier in this regard and warm to the government to get immediate steps to prevent these unsustainable projects under the MAHINDA CHINTHANA. do you let fishers protect their lives or do you allow foreigners to full fill their desires by victimizing our girls as prostitutes.NAFSO affiliated Organization, Southern Fisheries Organization Galle, the ven. thero in Polgasduwa temple , all the environmental organizations and civil societies who love our country and with all the NAFSO members scattered all over the island are ready to fight for preventing this unsustainable project. Finally we would like to invite all the world wide people to join in hands with us.